Photoshop and Wacom Tablet tips

I have been doing a lot of post production work in Adobe Photoshop with my Wacom tablet recently. A couple of things I came across that I thought might be useful to share.  

1. Ring when tapping in Photoshop with a tablet. This can become very annoying. I believe it comes as default in Windows 7. This is how I got rid of the problem in Windows 7 x64 bit.

-In the Control Panel search for Edit group policy. -In here you need to go to administrative templates, windows components, tablet pc, cursors, turn off pen feedback. -In this window change from not configured to enabled.  -Click OK and your done. Update: There is a lot more information on this subject here.

2. Add a Layer mask shortcut. I am constantly using layer masks and do get feed up of going all the way to the bottom of the Layers pallete to click the button. In Photoshop there is no default shortcut. To add a shortcut click Edit, Keyboard Shortcuts, under Layer Mask> add a shortcut key (I used Ctrl+Q) to Reveal All.

Creating an ocean in 3ds Max using Wave Generator

Wave Generator is a Plugin written by Ruben Mayor and Philippe Jadoul for 3ds Max. Very quickly you can generate ocean surfaces including control over waves. The plugin is currently in alpha version. We needed a solution to create various oceans surfaces. Wave Generator gave me the ability to create the ocean as a 3d object then add materials or even export it to other applications.  I found it very straight forward to work with and in 3ds Max I just add a daylight system and a generic mental ray water material to create the image above.

You can download Wave Generator here.

Photoshop CS6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UrlsnQ32YhY

Adobe have realeased 6 sneak peek videos on Youtube of the upcoming Photoshop CS6. Video 4 'Content-Aware' was of most interest to me. In the video Product Manager Bryan O'Neil Hughes demonstrates how to move or remove an object from an image using the content- aware tool. See below for the other 4 videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pBIf9KljT68 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XLp1dR2sYkE http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zDfL021HkCg http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9wx8P-GQxOw

Fix Your Photo’s Exposure Problems in Seconds With This Simple Trick from Lifehacker

A great tip here from the guys at lifehacker to fix exposure problems really quickly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UyIHpRjaBic

• Open up the photo and duplicate the layer containing it.
• Invert the duplicated layer. (The shortcut is Control/Command+I in Photoshop and is likely the same in other image editors.)
• Set the duplicated layer's blending mode to Overlay.

• Optional: Reduce the opacity of the duplicated layer if the effects are too much.
• Optional: Merge the two layers and adjust the levels or curves to suit your taste. (If you're in Photoshop, you can just make a new adjustment layer to do this.)

NOX Free Render Engine

"Nox Renderer is a rendering software based on unbiased methods. Development is currently in beta stage." Evermotion.org

NOX Renderer is available for download here.

This is how I got on with NOX renderer in 3ds Max, this is not so much a review but my first impressions. Once the Renderer is downloaded and you have also installed the Material Library open up 3ds Max and choose NOX as the render engine.The next step was to set up the scene, I used the Fendi Dorchester Chair which you can download here. The Sunlight System is in the Standard Lights Menu in 3ds Max and Camera is in the Camera Menu.

Next up was applying the materials. Open up the Material Editor in 3ds Max and click on Standard and choose Nox Material. The material Libery that comes with Nox is very nice. I then applyed the fabric to the chair and wood to the legs and floor.

After hitting Render this is what I was getting, in fact it was a lot more over exposed. Also I turned off Real-World Scale in the UV Maps on the Chair. The problem was with the exposure, aperture and camera distance. Once I had adjusted these three I got the render below which took 21 minutes.I found Nox Renderer nice and simple to use and I am looking forward to working with it more in future and seeing it develop. NOTE. After writing this post Evermotion have posted some tutorials here. Check them out, there are some great features and you will probably get on better than I did.

Autodesk University

Just wanted to post about Autodesk University. This is a great site with content on most of the Autodesk products. Alot of 3ds Max which is great for me. With presentations in all fields of 3D and CGI I highly recommend checking it out. You can log in with an Autodesk or Facebook account. I particularly enjoyed Ramy Hanna's Is That a Photograph? Architectural Photography for 3D Rendering.

New Multi Control App, 3D Connextion, Wacom and the Ipad

Maide Inc have come up with this great way of using the ipad and iphone with 3ds Max and Maya.http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BI_pnzES7F0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=V7V-UkDQUQo

I saw this metioned on Evermotion in their monthly newsletter and gave it a go at work. Not being an Ipad or Iphone user the intuitive functionality did not come as easy as if I had experience with the 2 devices. The Maide Control needed a bit of a learning curve but does have a lot of potential. I got very excited and thought about purchasing an Ipad instead of the Space Pilot Pro I have been dreaming of for a while now. I am currently using the Space Navigator and a Wacom Intuos 3

I started looking into Ipad/Wacom alternatives, there was not as many as I thought there would be. I found a few things of interest then I stumbled upon this actually made by Wacom. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tbuZ_ulQfLA So being very comfortable and happy with both my Space Navigater and Wacom, but being due an upgrade at some point this year is it worth combining the 2 and having only one device on the desk, plus having all the other functions the ipad has? Is it worth the learning curve? Or should I look at this as great potential and go for what I know and love. I have been looking for an excuse to get an Ipad for a while now and as I am looking for a mobile phone contract to use in Monaco, maybe an Ipad could be the way to go instead of an Iphone.

Monaco Rally Vintage Car Show

On the way to the port I stumbled across the Monaco Rally Vintage Car show. Here are a few pictures + the VW spotted in Menton!

Night HDR Images

I am currently in the South of France and this is the view from my appartment in Menton, Italy is on the left.

This image is from back in April 2011 of Montreal.

Work featured in 3d World Issue 150

Sable Vivant, Brighton White Night

It was White Night Nuit Blaunche here in Brighton on Saturday night. It was great fun, one of the highlights was getting to use Sable Vivant's project - Third Eye.  "ThirdEye is a simple and portable motion capture. Although we have originally designed as a tool for analysis of sign language, we quickly found that this base allowed us to many other applications. This extension of the project resulted in several devices. An example of these applications is the installation that we call 3D and calligraphy that allows for real-time enrollment in a three-dimensional space. The calligraphic gesture is released from the constraints of paper and took possession of the third dimension. Beyond its attractive technology, the installation invites the viewer to continue his action in a virtual space, blurring the boundaries between the real world and that of numerical simulation."                                                                                                                            Sable Vivant - Third Eye

VW Camper Van

After seeing all the VW Campers in Brighton (see post here) the other week I decided to create this one. The Camper Van was modelled in 3ds Max and rendered in Mental Ray using the HDR lighting technique I described here in HDRI Reflections. I applied all the materials using a multi-sub object.

iPad Product Design Work

Here is a iPad model. It is part of project I have recently been working on. It is modeled and rendered in 3ds max using Mental Ray.

VW Camper Vans in Brighton

On the day I moved down to Brighton there was a VW Camper Van Show. Here are some pictures from the event. It has inspired me to move on with the Vespa project to a VW Camper. So stay tuned.

Eurogamer

It was Eurogamer this week and I headed down to Earls Court. The range of games on offer was incredible, sadly though I didn't get there early enough to take advantage of the early bird ticket. I did manage to play the Nintendo 3DS for the first time. I think I may have one weaker eye as I struggled to focus on the 3D. I had to turn it down to half way-ish. I haven't looked into it but maybe you have to focus it to people's eyes. A statue of Link greeted me on the way into 3DS booth. I played a little of Zelda which I think has alone encouraged me to purchase a 3DS. I also played Mario 3D which I found hard to figure out how to play with Mario in a 3D environment compared to the normal platform that I so enjoyed. Maybe my lack of experience playing Mario 64 and Mario Galaxy had something to do with.

I also played one of my favorite games ever, Pokemon! But it was not the Pokemon that I had spent many hours leveling up, but it was SuperPokemon Rumble, I struggled to work out what I was meant to be doing. I was playing as a Pokémon, rather than a trainer. I think the game had more emphasis on battling (although I couldn't find a battle) than collecting, which I think the two combined help make Pokémon so successful. Stereotypically the battling and collecting appealed to the boys and the collecting and nurturing appealed to girls. I didn't really play enough to pass proper judgment but all in all I will be purchasing a Nintendo 3DS.

After the 3DSing I hunted down the Creative Assembly and passed on my new work, so figures crossed. I then bumped in to one of the best areas, reliving parts of my childhood playing on Crazy Taxi on the Dreamcast, losing at Mortal Kombat and seeing a Saga Saturn for the first time in years at the Replay Expo. World of Tanks deserves a mention for giving me a t-shirt and two tanks. The game basically involves selecting and loading up your tank and playing on a multi-player map in teams trying to destroy the other team. One of the best bits of this game is the ability to smash through everything that dare be in your path.

Undoubtedly the best thing about Eurogamer this year was receiving a free Onlive console and controller. Onlive looks great and seems to be in many peoples eyes the future. It also promises to make indie developers lives easier in the way of getting on the console and the inability to be pirated. It comes with a 30 day trial plus 3 months free if you are a BT customer then £6.99 after that for access to hundreds of games including Fear 3, Batman and Assassins Creed. I have been playing it for a couple of days now and I love it. I am even considering getting rid of the PS3! On the way out I had a go on Uncharted 3 multi-player, it was the first Uncharted I have played and it was incredible. Of all the games I played this was the best.

HDRI Reflections

This post is to describe how I got the reflections on the Vespa in a studio environment. I think you can just add a HDRI to the environment slot in the material editor. But I did it like this.

I created a sphere around the Vespa and applied the HDRI checking it was 2 sided and in the Self-Illumination slot. The Vespa is on a plane with an omni light with a multiplier of 0.01. When it came to rendering I added a Object ID pass and a separate object id to the bike, plane and sphere in the objects properties. The pass and render are below

Using the pass in Photoshop I masked out the background and added a gradient. I hope this all makes sense please feel free to add any comments and ask questions below.

Vespa

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I have finally got around to finishing up my Vespa. This images was influenced by my time in Brighton. The Vespa took two days to model and adding materials, rendering and post-production took another two. Rendered using Mental Ray and post in Photoshop. The lighting set up is described in this post.

Brighton Digital Festival

As part of Brighton Digital Festival studios in the area have opened their doors. On Thursday I went to visit the guys at Persistent Peril. They create some really cool animations, check out there showreel. They gave me some great advice and let me colour in some of their wall. The blue bomb is my handy work. Next week is Eurogamer Expo and a Augmented Reality conference called Improving Reality.

New Mental Ray Aircraft Render

I have just completed a new render modelled in 3ds Max, rendered with Mental Ray and some post production (Light flares and ambient occlusion) in Photoshop.

Develop

On Wednesday I attended Develop Conference in Brighton. I made a personalised business card for the event, each card had a unique piece of artwork and a brief summary of my experience and awards. I managed to chat with some really inspiring people and had a great time and Fate of the World was up for the Indie Award too. Thank you to all that attended and I hope to see you all soon!